MOOD STABILIZERS UPREGULATE BRAIN NEUROPROTECTIVE FACTORS Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) are neuroprotective. Their brain levels are decreased in bipolar disorder and Alzheimer disease. We showed that chronically administered mood stabilizers, carbamazepine or lamotrigine, increased brain BDNF and Bcl-2 mRNA and protein levels. These changes may explain why mood stabilizers are neuroprotective, and might be used different progressive human brain diseases (Chang et al., 2009). PHOSPHOADENOSINE PHOSPHATE PHOSPHATASE IS NOT A TARGET OF LITHIUM Lithium, which is approved for treating patients with bipolar disorder, is reported to inhibit 3'(2')-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphate (PAP) phosphatase activity. To test whether this inhibition is pharmacologically relevant to lithiums action, we fed rodents LiCl for 6 weeks, and then assayed brain. Lithium treatment did not change brain PAP phosphatase mRNA or protein, or increase PAP, indicating that the hypothesis was not applicable. A 25% reduced brain ADP/ATP ratio following lithium was in line with lithium's suggested neuroprotective action (Shaltiel et al., 2009).